


Fish

by Doctor_Who_Cares



Series: Living With Little Harry [14]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gen, general cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:19:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23334493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Who_Cares/pseuds/Doctor_Who_Cares
Summary: Harry & Draco get up to mischief at the river.
Series: Living With Little Harry [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1374640
Comments: 9
Kudos: 196





	Fish

“Do we have any nets at home we can go and get.”

“No, and why on earth do you want a net.” Severus looked up in surprise.

“Me and Draco are going to the river to fish.”

“You can't fish in the river Harry.”

“Not _actually_ fish, we're gonna catch them and then put them back. Maybe keep some as pets.”

“You can't keep them as pets, Harry, they're wild animals and they need the running water,” Harry looked stricken. “Not _all_ fish, Harry, just the kind you'd find in rivers. Mondo was absolutely fine, happy in his bowl.”

Giving a sigh of relief that he wasn't an unwitting fish torturer, Harry decided to enquire further. “What if we just catch them out of the water to look at them, then put them back.”

“How about I put it this way? Do you like breathing?”

“ _Yeah...”_

“So do fish.” He smiled at Harry and Harry nodded.

“Ohhh, yeah, that makes sense. _Draco,_ no fishing!” He yelled, running up the hall to find Draco ankle deep in old toys and random belongings that had been crammed into the closet over the years.

“Cool hat.” Harry said, bending down and putting on a blue baseball cap with a silver dragon on it.

“I can't find any nets anyway,” Draco pouted, extracting himself from the mess. “Keep it.” He added, adjusting the cap. It would be one less thing to clean up later.

“It's not _that_ cool.” Harry took it off, dropping it back onto the pile.

*** * ***

Taking the long trek across the grounds and behind the small wood they wandered up the river. It was a nice warm day, not too hot but not the typical wet English summer. The sun was shining between the trees making their vision flash red as they walked. The trees rustling full and bursting with life in the warm breeze birds wittering from the branches all the while, the gentle swaying not putting them off.

They stopped at a bridge and decided to race sticks. Despite his trash talk Draco watched in abject horror as Harry's stick won by a mile; he thumped the barrier with the side of his fist and turned around to see if Harry had been looking.

“You lost,” He lied going to join him. Harry was staring into the distance, watching three boys do exactly what they had planned on doing that day. Before Draco could ask Harry was rushing off the bridge and towards the boys. “Where are you going?”

“They must not know they're hurting them. We've gotta tell them.”

Draco followed, though he was under the opinion that it was not their job to tell them anything.

The boys didn't want to listen to Harry's lecture on how important the fish were and how they were hurting them by keeping them in the bucket of still water his eyes kept anxiously darting to. They remained unmoved, lounging on the bank sunning themselves, wondering when the two weird little boys they'd never seen before were going to leave so they could continue to enjoy themselves.

“Go away, you don't know what you're talking about.” One of them cut him off, shooing them. The boys weren't much older, about two years at most but they felt much older and didn't feel like entertaining some babies.

“Yes, I do. Severus told me and Severus is really smart.” Draco nodded in agreement next to him.

“We've been fishing all day, we're not putting them back.” Another boy scoffed.

Without any kind of actual plan Harry lunged forwards, snatching up as many rods and nets as he could from the floor before hurtling up the bank. The other three leapt up immediately on his tail.

“Draco!” Harry called behind himself. “The fish!”

Still a little stunned Draco looked over to the tub of fish, instantly knowing his task. The bucket was heavier than he was expecting but he managed to shift it closer to the water and tip them in.

A grin broke over his face and he jumped up and down, seeing Harry still running in the distance, he thought he'd better give him the good news.

“I did it!” He didn't specify.

Harry didn't need him to, tossing the fishing equipment unceremoniously in a bush, he turned and sped back down to Draco, the others busy scrabbling about picking up their things.

“ _Freedom_!” He shouted, punching the air when he saw the empty bucket Draco was waving frantically in the air.

“ _I_ freed them.” Draco lifted his chin, a smug look taking over his features. “Uh oh.”

“What?” Harry looked round to see the three barrelling back towards them. Grabbing the hand that wasn't holding a bucket, Harry raced in the opposite direction dragging Draco with him.

*** * ***

They didn't stop running until they had got all the way home, where they all but passed out on the doorstep though the boys had stopped chasing far back.

Out of immediate danger, the two rolled around laughing with the kind of giddy mirth you can only feel lying on the floor, out of breath with your best friend after doing something bad, dangerous or incredibly stupid... but in most cases all three.

“Have fun?” Severus asked almost tripping over them. They nodded unable to give much more. Even the dour potions professor found it hard to contain his smile at their pure joy.

They managed to calm down enough to give each other a look that said this would be their secret forever, but also that they probably couldn't go back to the river for a while.

“Where did you get that bucket?” Severus asked, his confusion evident when it started fresh peels of laughter that had Draco crying and Harry holding his stomach. Opening his mouth to inquire he thought better of it and just chuckled, muttered that they were insane and settling back down with his book.


End file.
